Sunday, 23 February 2014

It's always a joyous day when you sow your first seeds of the year. And here they are: Two rows of broad beans: Aqua Dulce and the Sutton

Broad Beans

These Jerusalem artichokes are soup pot escapees. I only dug them up a couple of weeks ago, but the best ones have been returned to the plot in a new location.

Jerusalem Artichokes

After my disaster with parsnips grown in root trainers I have reverted to my usual technique of sowing Tender and True direct. Alongside I have sown an experimental row of Turnip Rooted Chervil. Last year I sowed these in autumn and they came to nought, so here's hoping a spring sowing of fresh seed will produce some results.

Parsnip and Chervil Root - and Autumn Planted Alliums

The autumn sown garlic and onions (plus some weeds) are just beyond the new sowings in the bare soil.

n.b. I have made sure that all my sowings have been clearly marked and labelled (see white markers) this year. No repetition of this schoolboy error for me.

Sunday, 9 February 2014

I wouldn't normally leave carrots in the ground over winter, but these were sown late in August - too late - so they weren't worth digging up in the autumn. Then we had this peculiarly wet, but warmer than usual, winter. So when I was at the plot to pick kale and dig up Jerusalem artechokes (and weed the onion patch) I thought I would see what there was under the ground beneath the net.

To give a sense of scale:

They taste really sweet.

And here for the record are the unwashed Jerusalem artechokes. A great boon at this time of year when soup is the order of the day.